Mountain Wilderness International: Looking ahead
On June 15, at an extraordinary general meeting held in Bardonecchia Mountain Wilderness International approved and signed with a notary the organization’s revised statutes and organized a small event with local climate change associations. At the same time a new executive office was elected.
An update of the statutes was necessary to comply with the revision of the Italian law and to strengthen the association’s capacity to develop partnerships of all kinds.
It was an opportunity to hear Carlo Alberto Pinelli talk about the actions of the Asian Desk in the Swat region of Pakistan. The first phase of the project was completed last year and consisted of training a group of young people from the region to become trekking guides. They will in turn contribute to the creation of hiking and climbing guides in collaboration with experienced foreign instructors. Mountain Wilderness is also pushing national authorities to create a national park in the northern part of the region. This year, several teams will test potential trekking routes and even explore unspoilt 6000-metre peaks.
The recent meeting of the President of Mountain Wilderness was also discussed during which the main areas of cooperation were prioritized, the three main ones being: Climate change with the extension to other countries of the French “Roped for Climate” programme, Soft Mobility with an adaptation to the international scene of the Swiss “Green Ax” and French “Change of Approach” programmes, biodiversity based on the Swiss “Wildniss” programme and aiming to merge the various national activities into European actions.
Around the GA, a “Roped for the Climate” event was then organised by local MW members (thanks Susanna) working with resident mountain guides and schoolchildren at the Bardonecchia festival centre, it was an opportunity to listen to a vibrant and moving message written by François Labande and delivered in Italian by Guilia Barberi calling for more hospitality, peace and tolerance in these mountains which see many migrants passing through.
(BLM)